Black Sheep ready to join flock

HOBART’S expanding yacht racing fleet has another acquisition, the ocean racing yacht Black Sheep, with the former Sydney-based Beneteau First 45 bought by local yachtsmen Matthew Pilkington and Rob Gourlay.

Pillkington and Gourlay have been prominent SB20 sailors but sold their boat Henty cc. shortly after January’s world championships on the River Derwent.

They bought Black Sheep after she completed last year’s 73rd Sydney Hobart Yacht Race in which she placed fourth in IRC Division 3. Under ORCi scoring she placed second in her division.

The new owners have yet to race Black Sheep, but it is ex- pected they will compete in local events before the season finishes at the end of March.

Black Sheep but has not entered today’s Combined Clubs summer pennant long race, but two other newcomers will compete, Scott Sharp’s Melges 32 Crusader and the former Sydney Hobart division winner She’s Apples Two.

Today’s penultimate pennant race of the summer, conducted by the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, is a long day race starting off Castray Esplanade with the larger yachts sailing to a mark in Storm Bay and return. Bellerive Yacht Club vice-commodore Ian Stewart has the chance to win the summer pennant in two Group 1 handicap categories with his Mumm 36, TasPaints.

TasPaints leads Group 1 PHS by six points from Doctor Who (Rod Jackman) and B&G Advantage (Jeff Cordell), and the IRC category by three points from Doctor Who and Intrigue (Don Calvert). The Castro 40 Intrigue heads the Group 1 AMS leaderboard by two points from B&G Advantage with Mike Denney’s Wild West a close third.

Derwent Sailing Squadron commodore Steve Chau’s Young 88 Young Lion also leads the AMS and PHS categories of Group 3, from another Young 88, Chris Sheehan’s Saga. The classic 8Metre Juana (Jock Young) leads Group 2 PHS while Mark Ballard’s 42 South is No. 1 under AMS scoring. Two points separate Peter Alcock’s Kindred Spirit and Rob Jones’s Free n Easy in Group 4 PHS.